The present invention relates generally to garments for babies, and more particularly to a garment for swaddling a baby.
Conventionally, parents wrap or swaddle babies in one or more sections of cloth or a blanket. It is believed swaddling adds to a baby""s comfort by holding a baby tightly, much as a baby would feel in its mother""s womb or a parent""s arms. By imitating this feeling, a swaddle may act to calm and soothe a baby, helping it to rest more peacefully.
This is especially important for babies having trouble resting comfortably on their backs. Because of the increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) for babies sleeping on their stomachs, it is desirable to place babies on their back for sleeping. However, when babies have difficulty resting and sleeping on their backs, some parents alter the sleeping position of the baby to its front or side to calm the baby even though this is inadvisable due to an increased risk of SIDS. Swaddling may help babies rest more comfortably on their backs so they are less likely to be placed in an inadvisable sleeping position.
However, swaddling presents potential health risks for babies. First, conventional swaddles are usually constructed from strips of cloth which are wrapping around the baby and tucking inside the swaddle. Over time the swaddle may become loosened as the baby moves within the swaddle, and the baby may become entangled in a loose strip thereby inhibiting its breathing. Second, if a baby frees itself from a swaddle, it may rollover thereby increasing its risk for SIDS. Finally, conventional swaddles wrap around the entire baby including its legs, and hold the legs in an extended position. It is believed the incidence of hip dysplasia increases when the babies legs are tightly swaddled in an extended position because the legs cannot flex or abduct to their natural position within the swaddle.
Among the several objects and features of the present invention may be noted the provision of a garment which comforts a baby without inhibiting breathing; the provision of a garment which remains in place on the baby; and the provision of a garment which does not adversely inhibit leg movement.
Generally, the present invention includes a garment for swaddling a baby. The garment comprises an elongate shell having an outer surface, and an inner surface opposite the outer surface defining an interior volume for receiving the arms, legs and trunk of a baby therein. The shell has a head end, a foot end opposite the head end, lateral sides extending between the head end and the foot end, and a neck opening at the head end for receiving a neck of the baby. The garment also includes a pair of restraints positioned inside the interior volume of the shell adjacent the lateral sides. Each of the restraints receives one of the arms of the baby to retain the respective arm within the interior volume of the shell.
In another aspect, the shell of the garment includes a body portion adjacent the head end sized and shaped for enclosing the arms and trunk of the baby and for holding the arms of the baby in close proximity to the trunk of the baby. The shell also includes a leg portion adjacent the foot end sized and shaped for enclosing the legs of the baby with sufficient space to permit flexure and abduction of the hips of the baby within the interior volume of the garment.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the shell has a longitudinal opening extending from the neck opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell. The longitudinal opening has an open position for inserting the baby into the interior volume and removing the baby from the volume, and a closed position for retaining the baby in the interior volume. Further, the shell has an unstretched circumference measured around the inner surface of the shell when the longitudinal opening is in the closed position between about fifty percent and about 75 percent of a corresponding nominal girth of the baby measured around the trunk and arms of the baby.
In still another aspect, the shell applies a pressure to the baby when the longitudinal opening is in the closed position between about one half centimeter of water and about three centimeters of water.
Further, the present invention includes a method of swaddling a baby comprising the steps of placing a baby in an interior volume of an elastic shell having a longitudinal opening for providing access to the interior volume of the shell, and adjusting a girth of the shell so that when the shell is wrapped taut around the baby without stretching the shell, the longitudinal opening of the shell has a width selected to apply a predetermined approximate pressure to the baby when the longitudinal opening is closed. The method further includes the step of closing the longitudinal opening to stretch the shell around the baby and secure the shell about the baby.
In another aspect, the method comprises the steps of securing each arm of the baby to the shell to retain the respective arm in the interior volume of the shell.
Other objects and features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.